notagain | WEEK ZERO: ARRIVAL

ARRIVAL

▽ FULL NAVIGATION
▽ LOCATIONS
▽ STATUSES
▽ IC PROFILES
▽ IC RULEBOOK
▽ MURDER PROPOSALS
▽ PCS
▽ CURFEW
▽ ???
▽ ???
▽ ???

PASSENGERS: 41

You know how the story goes by now. One minute you’re somewhere familiar, and the next you’re suddenly somewhere else. Unlike previous times before, the source of your rude awakening isn’t a mystery. A harsh jostle causes your body to lunge forward as a tire jumps over a pot hole in the road. Try as you might, it’s hard to ignore the steady thrumming of an engine and the gentle sway beneath you. The faint scent of gasoline seems to waft from the outside, but as you look around you’ll notice that the windows are locked, tinted, and impossible to see through. Likewise, the door ahead of you appears to be locked as well.

Perhaps the scent is your imagination…?

Regardless, though the lighting is a tad dim, it becomes apparent that you’re inside a large bus dotted with the occasional seat and amid a jumble of other bodies. The people you were last with may be among your fellow passengers. Perhaps they are not. But worry not; there’s plenty of time to look around and get to know one another on this long, strange trip. It may even be wise to examine the staircase at the other end of the bus. Who knows what awaits you on the other floors?

Ah, but before you move too far it may be best to assess the situation. On the bright side, any injuries you incurred have been healed! Isn't it nice to have your limbs in place again? Miracles happen. But...what happened to your clothes? You’re fairly certain you weren't wearing this t-shirt before...and what's with the denim shorts? Maybe you were fortunate enough to get the knee-length version, but for those of you waking up in bootyshorts...well, we're sure you look great! And what better way to tie the whole look together than white socks and tan sandals? At least you'll be comfortable for the ride.

Lucky for you, your new threads aren't the only gift you'll receive upon waking up. Attached to your waist is a high-quality bag filled with some fun goodies for every passenger! For those of you who unzip your bag to check its contents, you will find:

-Dry shampoo
-Wet wipes
-Deodorant
-Travel pack of toilet paper
-Travel toothbrush + toothpaste
-Poncho
-A stylish travel guide

No other items are on your person at this time, even if you were holding onto it as you began your previous departure. That's a bit troublesome, isn't it? Not really; it's still a bus. Be grateful for the extra elbow room, alright?

Oh, and one last thing...on the wrist of every passenger is a small, equally fashionable white scrunchie. Not your style? Perhaps it's a good idea to give the travel guide another read.

Searching the bus from top to bottom will net zero results in the way of an escape. All of the windows are similarly tinted and locked, and the only exit door appears to be the one on the first level that can't be opened at this time.

But hey. You're all old pros at this, right? You know what to do next! Get to know the people around you, trade stories with your fellow passengers, and...well. Buckle up for the bumpy ride ahead.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So more of a middleman. We... sort of had that. [ it was complicated. ] Good chance we can expect someone like that to show up eventually.

Yeah. It was a few days for us, so...

[Another shrug, before.]

Is that everything you wanted to know?

[ he nods] About a week for us. And that's most of it. One last thing-- did you guys have a separate... area were the dead existed?

Yeah, it was a train for us. It was always parked in the middle of town, and we realized after about a month in that's where they were going.

Island for our cruise ship. The ship was circling it. [ he offers freely, since that's the basis? for her sharing? ] Thanks for the info. I know it's been bad and being here only makes it worse.

[She shrugs.]

It's not like I was going to be the only asshole who wouldn't say anything.

[ he shrugs back ]

Hey, I'm still thankful. [ he holds out his hand ] Dick Grayson, by the way.

[She glances at his hand for a long moment, like she's deciding whether she's going to be polite or very rude, before she moves to shake his hand.]

Natalie.

[ he shakes it quickly so she doesn't have to linger since he's not sure if that was a polite thing or a "ew, touch" thing ]

I'd say nice to meet you, but I think we'd both rather have had not to meet anyone here, circumstances being what they are.

Right. Either way... If it's going to be anything like last time, all of us are going to be stuck together for a while, so.

[ he nods, but-- ] How long was yours?

Eight weeks for the game itself, give or take a few days. We had to wait about a month to leave after it was over, though.

Edited 2020-06-06 04:05 (UTC)

[ well. that's new. ]

Why the wait?

Well, we all went home by train, so - it could only stop one place a day, or something? I don't know, dimensional travel is weird. Anyways, the people I was leaving with were towards the end of the line, so... A month.

Dimensional travel is way weird. [ he has to agree because wtf is trains. we just don't know ] Everyone else seems to have been on their way in some kind of instant travel. So that's-- what, three months on a train just to end up on a bus?

Oh, no, before we got on the train to leave, it was like... A town pulled right out of a really bad western. So, two months in John Wayne's daydream, about a month on the train.

[ there's the longest beat ]

Please tell me the cowboy hats were optional.

I would have walked out and never returned if they were not optional, regardless of the consequences.

And no one could have blamed you. [ he shrugs and gestures to their mutual terrible t-shirt ] These are bad enough as it is.

Please don't remind me that I'm probably going to have to wear this for a couple of days at minimum.

Sorry. If I have to think about it, so does everyone else.

[ but he's saying it with a grin because he's terrible ]

[She gives an incredibly overdramatic groan.]

Forget all the important logistics of why we're here, the first thing I'm asking when they show up is where our other clothes went.

No, I agree. The location of my pants is of utmost priority to me. I'm not even sure these shorts have pockets.

[ he sounds serious but is he ]

You get used to having little or no pocket space after a while. Ask literally any girl here.

Oh, believe me, I've heard about it before. [ there is not a single girl he knows who would not have complained about pockets in their superhero life at least once. ] And while I'm all for equality, I think the answer should be everyone gets pockets instead of the other way around.

(no subject)

successives - 2020-06-06 18:55 (UTC) - Expand